Tributes to Dave Ryding as he Announces Retirement
12th June 2025
Last modified on June 18th, 2025
GB’s greatest alpine skier is calling it a day, but not before a push for another Olympics and a final World Cup season in 2025/26. Next season will be his last. UPDATED
Dave Ryding has had seven World Cup podiums.
Only three other GB Alpine skiers have achieved World Cup podiums.
- Gina Hathorn – 1967
- Divina Galica – 1968 x 2
- Konrad Bartelski – 1981
In a career packed full of record-breaking achievements Ryding also has three World Championships top 10 finishes.
It includes a sixth place in the 2025 World Championships which marked Britain’s best Men’s Alpine World Championships result since 1934.
Ryding made GB ski sporting history in January 2022 with THAT victory at the Kitzbuehel Slalom World Cup.

Dave Ryding, Hahnenkamm slalom. Image © Juergen Klecha
The 38-year old said “I still feel I can compete at the top level, but I can’t go on forever and now is the time to make the announcement.”
He made the comments to PlanetSKI’s James Cove as we spoke to him earlier in the week ahead of today’s official announcement as we were let in on ‘the secret’.

Dave Ryding and PlanetSKI’s James Cove. Image © PlanetSKI
“I want to say a massive thanks to all the people who have supported me and to the growing number of British ski racing fans,” he said to PlanetSKI readers.
“I now see so many more Union Jacks in the crowd at races than I did years ago.
“I want to see the Union Jack back up the flag pole next season and be on the podium again.
“Do come and watch me race next winter if you can, in what will be my final season as I will giving it my all.”

Gurgl World Cup. Image © PlanetSKI
He has had two Olympic top 10 finishes from the 2018 PyeongChang Games with ninth in the Slalom and fifth in Team Parallel.
Ryding has long been recognised as the standard bearer for British Alpine skiing.
“Competing internationally, representing my country on the World Cup circuit, and going to four Olympic Games so far has been the privilege of a lifetime,” said Dave as he announced his retirement.
“I’ve always said that I’d only carry on for as long as I think I can perform to my best level, and making this decision now frees me up to give one last push to try and go one step further over the next season.
“I know I’ve still got it in me to perform at the top of my game.
“I’m so grateful for all the support I’ve received along throughout my racing career, from the fans, teammates, sponsors, the media, and everyone who’s helped me live out my dream over the past fifteen years.
“I hope in doing that, I’ve also showed for other Brits that you can do what I did, start out on the dry slopes, work hard, and make it to the top.
“There will be time to reflect as the year goes on, but for now I’m just focused on getting my head down, training hard this summer, and making sure I’m in the best possible shape to go out with a bang this season.
“It’s been one hell of a journey, and I’ve loved every second of it.
“Now it’s time to make this final season a special one.”

Dave Ryding. Image © PlanetSKI
There have been tributes paid from PlanetSKI readers on our Facebook page:
Colette Appelton: To Dave Ryding: You have given us so much enjoyment over the years, and Kitzbuhel! That was my first skiing holiday so a really special place for me. You have achieved so much especially having come from a dry ski slope background! Will miss you on the slopes, but all the best and enjoy some well deserved family time.
SMTC & The Cresta Run: You have served Lancashire and your nation with honour, dignity, style and no end of success. What is next? Without doubt, your skills and talents will be recognised by the national skiing authorities, with a role in management, training supervision etc, or might a role in public broadcasting be of interest?
Joanne Doyle: End of an era! Not surprised given his age but he is a fantastic example for young skiers.
Martin Etherington: Have a great last year by winning the Olympics.
Tracey Williamson: Totally committed to a sport he loved. Someone to be admired and looked up too. A fabulous ambassador for the sport and an inspiration to the next generation. Thank you Dave Ryding-Skier for all the entertainment over the years, a Legend in many’s eyes.
Stuart Adamson: Thank you Dave for the excitement. Believe it or not the ESF of Alpe d’Huez were right behind you provided M.Noel was out of the game!
Philip Thorp: Have a blast in your last season. You have been amazing, good luck.
Judith Wren: Well deserved Dave – go out on a high.
Gary Frost: you done us proud lad well done.
Neil Francis Kearns: The man is a total legend has given some of the greatest sporting moments we have ever seen. Hope you have a great final season a win in Schladming would round things off nicely.
Ali Beach: Enjoy your last season big man. Everyone loves watching you and the British lads race. You have been fantastic!
David Francis: A very big ‘thank you’ for your dedication and achievements. A true role model for all who follow you and there is already talent to encourage. Enjoy your last season and all success in the future, especially with the family.Oh, and you have proved that “plastic is fantastic”!
Ryding’s 2024/25 season saw him take three World Cup top-10 finishes:
- Gurgl – 7th
- Val d’Isere – 9th
- Alta Badia – 8th
It sees him enter his final season on the international circuit as Britain’s highest ranked Alpine skier ahead of World Cup squad teammates, Billy Major and Laurie Taylor.

Ryding, Major & Taylor. Image © PlanetSKI
A handful of selected people, including PlanetSKI, was let into ‘the secret’ last Tuesday evening at a special event organised by GB Snowsport to celebrate the success of the GB Alpine Team.
It was here Dave made his announcement:
The evening continued with his backers, supporters, fellow athletes and others celebrating his success.

Celebrating GB Alpine ski team. Image © PlanetSKI

Celebrating GB Alpine ski team. Image © PlanetSKI

Celebrating GB Alpine ski team. Image © PlanetSKI
On Thursday, once the announcement was official, Dave spoke to journalists, including PlanetSKI, in an online news conference.
He gave more details about his hopes for next season, his early years as a dry slope racer, what the future might hold and much more.
We’ve selected some of the key soundbites.
Goals For His Final Season
“I’m certainly not taking this as a swansong year and cruise around the Alps for a year.
“It’s very much business as usual in the World Cup.
“I want to be in the top 10 every single race.”
“Ideally, I’d like to become the oldest World Cup slalom skier on a podium – my last podium I was 12 days too young – so that’s still a box I feel is achievable and I’d like to tick, so not just the oldest winner but the oldest on a podium.”
“My best at the Olympics is ninth so realistically I think that’s a result that can be bettered.”

Dave Ryding was the flagbearer at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Image © Sam Mellish/Team GB.
A New Mindset for 2025/26
“Now I have a finish line so when I go to each training venue or when I go to each race, I know that this is the last time …
“I hope that will give me a sense of ‘make the most of it, enjoy it, take the memories from it and be much more in the moment’ because, having such a long career, I’ve been to the places year after year and it does become a bit like déjà vu and you certainly go through the motions.”
“One of the things I’ve noticed over the last three seasons, other than maybe Kitzbuehel, is I’ve always started the season really well and my theory behind not carrying that through or petering off a little bit – which is the difference between a podium and maybe fighting for the top 10s – is the fact that after three or four good races I get to Christmas and I’m like, yeah, you know what, I’m probably gonna carry on, and then that intensity and mindset sort of switches to protecting your ranking or consistency.”
“This year will be very much about ‘this is the last time I’m here’, go all in and what will be will be, and try and put out the fastest skiing I can, rather than maybe the most consistent season as a whole.
“I hope to really take the memories but also stay committed to every single race and stay in the moment.”

Dave Ryding after the Schladming night slalom, January 2024. Image © PlanetSKI
Artificial Slopes Breed Champions
“I still remember my very first lesson on the dry slope. I still give this lady (Jeanette) a lot of credit just for instilling fun into skiing for me, because I think at a young age, first you have to instill fun into the kids because for the kids go up to their local dry slope two or three times a week or their indoor centres, then it’s got to be fun or they won’t do it.”
“That first lesson with her was so much fun just side-stepping up a slope and skiing straight down it. It gave me a love for skiing and I think that’s the most important for the young generation on the dry slope.”
“It was immensely valuable, the racing I did on the dry slopes…. I think that’s what made me so consistent because I had all this racing knowledge and all this experience that other people weren’t able to tap into…. it’s a skill in itself to apply yourself on a race day.
“I started learning that at eight-years-old every single weekend throughout the summer on the dry slope circuit.”
Life After Racing
“I don’t think I’ll retire any time soon because I’ll be so bored and I’ll just drive my wife crazy.”
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“I think it’ll be sensible to stay in something I know a lot about, in skiing.
“What that actually looks like I don’t massively know yet but I’m sure doors open – they’ve already started – I have a few ideas but I want to keep my focus, like I always have, on the racing ahead.
“It’s good to know there are doors open because it calms the mind but, let’s tackle that in February.
“I will probably have to put my fingers in a few pies, as they say, and find the one for me because what I want to do is wake up in the morning like I do now and have a passion to do something.”
We have posted two related stories on PlanetSKI which examine the huge impact Dave has had on British alpine ski racing.
We look at the journey of the boy from Lancashire who started on plastic slopes in the UK and ended on top of the podium in Kitzbuehel in Austria:
Dave will continue his training schedule over the summer months and the GB alpine team will be heading to Argentina for an on-snow summer training camp.
The provisional 2026 Alpine World Cup schedule was published by FIS last month and is scheduled to see Levi in Finland host the first of the season’s Slalom World Cup races on 16th November.
PlanetSKI will be slopeside in Gurgl in Austria later in November to see Dave in action in his first race in the Alps.

Gurgl World Cup. Image © PlanetSKI
Next season there are ten Slalom World Cup races before the World Cup Finals in Lillehammer, Norway, on 21st – 25th March 2026.
The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics takes place February 6th – 22nd.
Related Articles:
- Ryding in Top Ten in Val d’Isere
- Ryding Calls for Slalom Races to be Moved to Higher Altitude
- Ryding is 7th best slalom skier in the world
- Ryding gets his own gondola in Kitzbuehel
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